


Mischief, Marriage, and Meddling

by Kalira



Category: Naruto
Genre: (Minato ships them), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Family, Fluff, Naruto AU Week 2021, Pre-Hatake Kakashi/Yamato | Tenzou, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29299731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalira/pseuds/Kalira
Summary: Minato takes his midday break as an opportunity to have a little time with his family - and to give his beloved student another gentle nudge.
Relationships: Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina
Comments: 11
Kudos: 55
Collections: Naruto AU Week 2021, Valentine's Spectacular (2021)





	Mischief, Marriage, and Meddling

**Author's Note:**

> While this is part of my annual Valentine's Spectacular, it is also for Day 1 of [Naruto AU Week](https://naruto-au-week.tumblr.com/post/632132941901873152/prompts): Everybody Lives, Nobody Dies

“Yes, of course I understand.” Minato said, pacing along the outer wall of his office, glancing out the windows from time to time. He stilled suddenly, a smile displacing his distracted frown as his eyes fell on a quicksilver streak of vibrant red darting through the streets below.

Kushina leapt to an awning, then skittered along a fence still in her soul form, and Minato’s smile widened as he saw that she had Naruto by the scruff. She reached the end of the fence and shifted back, Naruto dropping into her arms, and leapt up to the nearest roof, head thrown back as she laughed.

“. . .er. Hokage-sama?”

Minato watched Kushina progress across several higher roofs, not slowing down, her laughter _just_ audible through the window as she ran past. He sighed fondly, leaning against the window, eyes on his wife and son.

“If you _could_ focus, _please_ ,” Shikaku said behind him, “we need to finish these rosters by the end of day today.”

“It’s barely lunchtime.” Minato said absently. “We have time.” Naruto was wriggling in his mother’s arms, grinning, even though she wasn’t letting him down.

“But-”

“Hound.” Minato called, turning away from the window as Kushina proceeded out of easy sight, and Kakashi materialised out of the corner between one broad bookcase and the wall. Minato hid his amusement as even Shikaku showed a flicker of surprise. Kakashi had always excelled, and while that was certainly common knowledge . . . it amused and irritated Minato by turns how much it continued to surprise his comrades. Even now he was mostly grown.

“Hokage-sama.” Kakashi said almost flatly, inclining his head as he stopped before the desk. Minato met his gaze through the wider-than-standard holes in his porcelain mask.

“Go down and invite my wife up for lunch, please.” Minato said, and heard a faint sound of amusement from Kakashi. “Who else is on duty today?” he asked, though he already knew at _least_ one of the others guarding him today.

Specifically the bright young ninja Kakashi had discovered hidden under Danzou’s orders, bringing him out of the dark and right to Minato. It had allowed him to unravel Danzou’s frankly horrifying machinations, and deeply entrenched admiration and adoration for Kakashi in his new kohai. It had been only deepened when Kakashi gave him a new name, which Kushina had cooed over for its implications and which it was obvious he loved, though of course he also answered to-

“Cat, you remain.” Minato ordered, sending the others away as Kakashi spirited outside in search of the rest of Minato’s family. He smiled at the thought, finishing a last adjustment on the first roster and passing it to Shikaku before he left.

Tenzou stood midway between Minato’s desk and the wall, looking not quite awkward but very much like he wanted to return to being an invisible shadow of a guard.

Minato beckoned to him, keeping him from disappearing as he no doubt thought he ‘should’. Kakashi would share lunch with Minato and his family - the rest of his family, Minato thought fondly, for Kakashi was very much family as well, somewhere between a beloved little brother to Minato and an idolised elder brother for his son - and while Minato had dismissed the other ANBU for the time being for privacy, he intended that Tenzou should as well.

Minato had never seen his soul form, but he _had_ seen Tenzou’s wrist, if only fleetingly. Even if he hadn’t thought they were well-suited before, Minato was quite certain that Tenzou’s wrist bore the image of a very familiar wolf.

They were young of course, but they were already quite close, and Minato intended to encourage that friendship. They could grow into one another, and . . . they were already good for each other.

The doors swung open again, and Kushina spilled through in a blaze of life and laughter and mischief with Kakashi in her wake, Naruto curled in one arm, against his chest. Minato moved to meet her, grinning, feeling his heart squeeze as she turned her bright, beautiful smile on him.

“Hello darling!” Kushina said happily, throwing her arms around him.

“Hello beautiful!” Minato locked his arms around her waist in return, picking her up for a quick spin out of gleeful impulse. It made her laugh, and Minato kissed her cheek, hugging her tight.

Kakashi closed the door behind them and stepped forwards, deftly evading Kushina as she skipped teasingly back out of Minato’s reach. He put a carrier bag on Minato’s desk, then moved back out of the way, ruffling Naruto’s ears and gracefully putting up with his growls and playful nipping at Kakashi’s fingers.

Minato grinned, settling an arm around Kushina’s waist and gesturing to Tenzou to come in closer. He took half a step, still holding himself just shy of stiff. “You can take your mask off; eat with us.” Minato flicked a glance at Kakashi, but _he_ should already know he was invited.

“Oh! Hokage-sama, ah. . .” Tenzou shifted uneasily, raising one hand, his fingertips brushing his mask.

“We already know who you are, Cat.” Minato said gently.

Kakashi made a soft sound, drawing Tenzou’s attention, and removed his porcelain mask, letting it sit at a rakish angle on his head as Naruto yipped excitedly and leapt up for his face, licking his masked chin. Kakashi laughed, catching him and stroking his back.

Minato squeezed his wife close against his side, then released her to go get the carrier bag of food, moving to the floor to unpack it. He glanced up at Tenzou, and he hesitantly pulled off his mask, hooking it at his belt.

Minato beckoned to him, but didn’t keep watching him, turning instead towards Kakashi and Naruto. “Don’t you think you should have hands for lunch, kiddo?” Minato asked his son, and Naruto wriggled in Kakashi’s hold, then bounded out of his lap and right for Minato.

Kushina pulled the food out of the way, laughing, and Minato ‘went down’ under Naruto’s pounce, catching his son’s sides and pulling him very gently back and forth. Naruto shrieked gleefully and Minato laughed, letting him bounce a bit before sitting up as he shifted, more clumsy in his human form but clinging to Minato happily.

Kushina hummed, nudging a plate pointedly towards Minato. The others already all had theirs, he saw - and Tenzou was sitting close against Kakashi’s left side, not quite behind him, looking over his shoulder at Minato, Kushina, and Naruto.

Minato smiled at him and he smiled shyly and dipped his head, eyes dropping to the plate in his lap.

Minato looked at his wife, catching her hand as she reached over again - her brows rose - and bringing it up to kiss her palm, grinning at the sight of her soulmark, which she had stopped covering - no matter what she was doing - years ago. Kushina leaned into him, fingers curling beneath his chin, tugging him in for a soft kiss, her eyes bright with happiness and love.

**Author's Note:**

> They weren't all mentioned, but the soul forms of the little 'family':
> 
> Minato: swan  
> Kushina: fox  
> Naruto: fox  
> Kakashi: wolf  
> Tenzou: red panda
> 
> (And Minato is, of course, correct - Kakashi and Tenzou are soulmates, though they have yet to acknowledge this themselves.)


End file.
